1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drawer-type heat cooker in which a heating container can be drawn out toward the front from a cooker body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, as a heat cooker such as an electronic oven, a number of heat cookers of a front-door type are proposed. On the other hand, as a cooker of a type different from the front-door type, there is proposed a heat cooker of a drawer-type which is drawn out toward the front. Since the drawer-type heat cooker is suitable for a relatively large structure, it is considered as a cooker which constitutes a built-in kitchen.
As an example of the drawer-type heat cooker, a structure in which a bottom plate which moves in conjunction with the front door is adapted to be capable of smooth sliding movement with respect to an apparatus body with a sliding mechanism, and an output of a motor provided on the main body of the apparatus is transmitted by transmission means such as a pinion-rack mechanism to open and close the bottom plate together with the opening-closing door is proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 3-45820 (P.3, upper left column, line 5 to the upper right column line 16, FIG. 2 to FIG. 4). A door opening-closing unit includes a latch device for holding the opening-closing door in a closed state, a door opening-closing switch, and a control circuit for driving the motor to open and close the opening-closing door upon reception of a signal from the door opening-closing switch, and when the door opening-closing switch is pressed, the latch is released automatically, and the opening-closing door and the bottom plate open and close in conjunction with each other by a drive force of the motor.
As another example of the drawer-type heat cooker, there is proposed a heat cooker in which a drawer body in which an object to be heated is stored is provided in a cooker body so as to be capable of being drawn out, in which when the fact that the drawer body is pulled toward the operator is detected, an electromagnetic leg portion provided on a bottom surface of the cooker body is excited to attract a metallic placing table on which the cooker is placed (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-109257 Paragraph [0010] FIG. 1). With a structure in which the electromagnetic leg portion is attracted to the metallic placing table when the drawer body in which a large amount of object to be heated is stored is drawn out, the drawer body is prevented from being unstable in weight balance and falling down forward from the kitchen counter.
As still another example of the drawer-type heat cooker, there is proposed an electronic oven having a drawer structure in which a food placing table can be moved (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.11-237053 (paragraph [0030]-[0035], FIG. 1). The electronic oven is provided with a heating container having an opening on top so as to be freely drawn out from a body enclosure of the electronic oven, and the heating container and a lid member for covering the opening of the heating container provided on the body enclosure entrap microwave to define a heat chamber. In this electronic oven, a choke groove is provided between the peripheral edge of the opening of the heating container and the lid member opposing thereto to prevent leakage of electric wave.
The present applicant proposes a heat cooker provided with a drawer body in which an object to be heated is stored so as to be capable of drawing out from the cooker body (Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-7384, Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-7385). According to a proposal in the former application, necessity of using expensive components or materials having high heat-resistant property and fire-resistant property for forming a moving mechanism is avoided, and hence manufacturing cost can be reduced. Also, with a structure in which the moving mechanism is not affected by microwave irradiated in the heat chamber, a risk of discharging caused by microwave can be solved. According to the latter application, with a structure in which vibrations in association with opening and closing operation is applied to the object to be heated, a user is protected from a risk of burning himself/herself due to a phenomenon such that vapor is abruptly discharged from overheated liquid due to an impact such as vibrations, and, with a structure in which the moving speed of the opening-closing door is controlled, the object to be heated is prevented from falling down or liquid component is prevented from spilling out.
In a drawer-type heat cooker provided with a sliding mechanism on a bottom plate which is moved in conjunction with the opening-closing door and a motor for driving the same in order to open and close the opening-closing door automatically, when the components, in particular the motor is installed in the heat chamber, the components of the motor may be damaged by discharging caused by microwave or increase in temperature, which may result in breakdown. Also, when the sliding mechanism and driving motor is installed in the heat chamber, leavings of food as the object to be heated placed in the heat chamber may attach thereto, thereby causing corrosion or clogging and also resulting in breakdown.
Therefore, in the drawer-type heat cooker in which the heating container can be drawn out toward the front with respect to the cooker body, there are problems to be solved for improving arrangement of the sliding mechanism for enabling movement of the drawer body for automatically pulling and pushing the drawer body including the heating container and a drive mechanism for driving the sliding mechanism with respect to the heat chamber in order to prevent these mechanisms from being affected by microwave or the leavings of food.